Argues that the involvement of national libraries is necessary for the universal availability of publications. Acquisition, document supply, document retention, and retrieval of older materials all require planning and management by national libraries to facilitate transfer of materials to countries worldwide. National libraries may need to…

Discusses problems of preservation and conservation of library materials in the South Pacific, including environmental factors, insect and animal pests, and mishandling. Describes the situation in national, public, and academic libraries in the region; factors in planning library buildings to promote preservation; and preservation efforts at the…